The kids are screaming, you’ve had less than 4 hours sleep, your work deadline is approaching fast and you haven’t had time for yourself in weeks! To add insult to injury, now you have a raging headache blasting away at your skull like a jackhammer…how are you going to make it through the day?
It’s time to pull the trigger on your pre-set plan to stop this headache dead in its tracks and get back to feeling human again. You need the Headache Survival Guide!
WHAT IS A HEADACHE?
Headaches are one of the MOST common types of pain experienced by the population with 90% experiencing a headache at some point in their lives, 13% in the past year and 3% suffering from chronic and debilitating headaches.
A headache is defined as pain arising from the structures and tissues that surround the upper neck, brain, and skull.
Types of headaches include migraines, cluster, tension, and 14 other classifications, while the pain can be throbbing, sharp, dull, aching, constant, intense or mild.
Regardless of type or character, one thing remains true… HEADACHES SUCK! :-(
YOUR HEADACHE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Here are five things you can start doing right away to reduce your headache pain and stop the suffering. Let the healing begin!
1. Drink Water
This sounds too good to be true. “I can get rid of this throbbing headache by just drinking some water?”
Yes.In fact, one CBS news report claims up to 75% of the American population could be chronically dehydrated.
When you experience a loss of fluid, the brain itself can shrink and pull away from the skull causing irritation to the structures and pain in your head.
Once re-hydrated, the brain returns to normal and the headache disappears.
2. Take a Nap
In addition to all of the other benefits to napping, like more energy, better moods, and enhanced memory, participants in some studies have noted that going to sleep was the MOST effective strategy for reducing or resolving a headache.
3. Get Your Spine Checked
A cervicogenic headache is characterized by pain perceived in the head but from a source in the tissues of the neck. Those sources could include the discs, ligaments, soft tissues and blood vessels.
Distortion in the spinal column can exist for years affecting all of these components without presenting any symptoms…much like a cavity can deteriorate a tooth without causing pain.
The best way to determine if a structural problem could be contributing to your headaches is via a detailed analysis by a Life By Design Chiropractor.
4. Break a Sweat
It’s a common myth that you shouldn’t exercise when you have a headache.
Truthfully, I think it gets perpetuated as more of an excuse than anything else as running around and lifting weights are probably not high on the list when you feel like garbage.
However, if you can muster up the will power, exercise releases endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers. They can help you reduce the severity of most headaches and impact the frequency of your future episodes.
5. Eat Well
It’s not new to attempt to reduce headaches by removing food “triggers”, however, it makes more sense to approach nutrition with respect to headaches from a different perspective.
Eating By Design naturally leads to a lower inflammatory response which means less irritation in the brain and an increased capacity for the body to self-repair.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Start with any or all of these five steps as a guide to survive your headaches and better yet, maybe even get rid of them for good.